O’FALLON, Mo. – A national shortage, and now the St. Louis region is leading the way. The MEMC plant on Pearl Drive is creating a whole new type of higher technology and a whole new extension of the facility. The work they’re doing and creating will help both the local and global economies.
On Monday, the MEMC group and many partners gathered to discuss and celebrate the work being done in the area. The $300 million investment from the corporation is taking shape. From the outside, tons of heavy machinery filled the new extension of the building; meanwhile, inside, classes were going on, and employees heading into the clean room.
“This is exactly the kind of project that shows what our team is made of,” said Karla Chaney, the site manager of MEMC, O’Fallon, Missouri.
It’s not just what they’re made of, but what they can create… The world’s only plant producing 300-millimeter wafers.
“Our SOI wafers are used in chips that go into communications, radiofrequency devices like your smartphone, automotive, industrial, and defense,” Chaney said.
She further explained just how crucial this production will be. The projection of radiofrequency, a hot commodity in short supply.
“The latest version of that pain was when you couldn’t buy a new car because there weren’t any chips,” said St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann.
He said that it isn’t just market rehabilitation.
“We need to get the entire region growing, the way we’ve been growing out here, and if we don’t, our growth will eventually stop too,” Ehlmann said.
Otherwise, he said it will start to affect St. Charles County. Ehlmann explained St. Charles County grew a whopping 13% in the last consensus, while the region only hit 1.3%. The $300 million corporate investment will bring 100 new jobs into the area, and that’s not all.
“It will also increase tax revenue by three times when we’re at full ramp,” Chaney said.
She said they’re looking for help from local, state, and national supporters.
“We’re relying on the support of the city of O’Fallon. St. Charles County, Missouri State, and even the federal government in the form of Chips Acts, to support this expansion,” Chaney said.
That support has grown since the project’s inception in 2021.
“If you don’t have what they’re doing here, all those other parts aren’t gonna work,” Ehlmann said.
MEMC said by the start of Q2 in 2024, they will be in production of the SOI, large-sized wafers.